‘Please don’t hit me!’ The battle between ebikers and other cyclists

Ebike rentals are thought to have reduced car use – but caused consternation among some pedestrians and other road users. How can everyone get along?

I love Lime bikes because I live next to a secondary school, and I see those tearaways in every mood. Coming in, grumpy; going home, cranky; yelling at each other, kicking bins for no reason. Ah, the sweet hell of teenagehood. But when they get on the Limes, you can see in them both the playful, primary school kids of the past, and the adults, with agency and a place to be, of the future. Let’s not trouble ourselves over whether or not they’ve hacked them and that’s what the funny clacking noise is.

But the relationship overall, between the pedal cyclist, the ebiker and the pedestrian – well, it’s mixed. Some are happy to welcome rented ebikers as allies against the greater enemy (the car). Others say they have been actively put off cycling because of them. Pedestrians have other complaints still, and drivers – well, I left drivers out of this. Some other time for their nonsense (our nonsense – I also drive).

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